A yearly notice for the sprinkler line
Plenty of Fullerton yards hide a pressure vacuum breaker behind a hedge. The notice names it and gives a date. Clear the shrubs, book an accepted tester, and ask up front whether filing the report is included.
Backflow testing and repair · Fullerton, CA
Backflow testing in Fullerton, from the first gauge reading to the city report
A test notice in the mail, an RP spitting water by the meter, a report stamped failed. We test the assembly, rebuild what failed, retest it and get the paperwork to your water supplier.
Preview site for Fullerton Backflow Testing. The phone number shown is a temporary placeholder, and the request form is not connected to a destination yet.
Test tag
- Match the device to your notice
- Read every valve on the gauge
- Rebuild what failed
- Retest and send the report
01Device ledger
Find the code on your notice. Here's what it means.
Your water supplier's notice names the device type and size. Match the code below, then check the brass tag on the valve body. If the two disagree, tell us before the visit so the report lands on the right record.
| Device | How it works | Where you'll see it | Testable | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP Reduced pressure principle assembly | Two check valves with a relief valve between them that dumps water if either check leaks. | Restaurants, clinics, car washes and other higher-hazard connections; some irrigation. | Yes | Water discharging from the funnel underneath. It needs room below to drain. |
| DC Double check valve assembly | Two independent check valves in series, with test cocks and shutoffs at each end. | Fire sprinkler lines, some irrigation and lower-hazard commercial service. | Yes | Often buried in a green box near the street. Keep the lid clear and the box dug out. |
| PVB Pressure vacuum breaker | A spring-loaded check valve plus an air inlet that opens when supply pressure drops. | Home and landscape sprinklers, mounted above ground near the valves. | Yes | Spitting at start-up, a sun-cracked canopy, or sitting lower than the heads it serves. |
| SVB Spill-resistant vacuum breaker | Works like a PVB but is built not to spill water when it resets. | Spots where a little spitting water would cause trouble, including some indoor uses. | Yes | Leaks from the canopy or a test cock. Confirm it matches the type on your notice. |
| AVB Atmospheric vacuum breaker | A float and air inlet with no shutoffs. Hose bibb vacuum breakers belong here too. | On individual sprinkler valves and screwed onto outdoor faucets. | No | Can't be tested. If your notice asks for a test on one, call the city to sort it out. |
General descriptions. Your water supplier decides which type your connection needs, so check with the city before swapping one for another.
02Why it gets tested
Two check valves stand between your sprinkler water and your neighbor's kitchen tap. We make sure they still close.
A backflow assembly is a pair of spring-loaded check valves. When pressure in the street main drops, they snap shut so water from your sprinkler line, boiler or fire system can't siphon back toward your neighbors' taps.
Rubber discs harden and springs weaken without any outward sign. A certified tester clips a differential gauge onto the test cocks and reads whether each valve still holds. California water suppliers commonly require that test at installation and at least once a year.
In Fullerton the notice usually comes from the city's own water utility. The deadline, the accepted tester list and the filing method are printed on that notice, and the city sets them, so start there.
03The visit
How a test goes, valve by valve
A routine test is gauge work. The assembly only comes apart when a valve fails, and a repair always ends with a second test.
- STEP 01
Match the device
We check the type, brand, size and serial number against the ID on your notice, so the report lands on the right record.
- STEP 02
Isolate and connect
Water downstream goes off for a short while. We flush the test cocks and attach a differential pressure gauge.
- STEP 03
Read every valve
Each check valve, plus the relief valve on an RP, gets measured against the pass limits for that device type.
- STEP 04
Rebuild what failed
Most failures need new discs, seats or springs from a repair kit. A cracked body or a discontinued model means replacement, priced in writing first.
- STEP 05
Test it again
A repaired assembly gets a second full test. The report shows a pass, with the readings.
- STEP 06
Send the report
The results go to your water supplier the way it requires, and you get a copy with the numbers for next year.
04Warning signs
Seeing one of these? Your device needs a test
Look by the water meter, next to the sprinkler valves, or where the fire line rises out of the ground.
- Water dripping or dumping from the funnel on the bottom of an RP assembly.
- A test notice or overdue reminder from your water supplier.
- A report marked failed, or a check valve that wouldn't hold pressure.
- A cracked bronze body, broken bonnet or leaking test cock after an impact or years of sun.
- Sprinklers running weak since someone worked on the device.
- A vacuum breaker that sprays every time a sprinkler zone starts.
- No test record since you bought the place.
Do these four things before anyone shows up
- Gushing water? Close the shutoff just upstream of the device, or the house main if you can't reach one. Everything downstream goes dry until it's fixed.
- Read the notice line by line: device ID, location, size, deadline and how the report has to be filed.
- Photograph the brass tag on the device and any leak. A tester can identify the model from the photo and bring the right repair kit.
- Get the city's accepted tester list, and look up any contractor's CSLB license at cslb.ca.gov before you approve repair work.
Smell gas anywhere on the property? Leave and call 911 or SoCalGas from outside. Backflow work doesn't involve gas lines.
05Typical calls
The four calls we expect most in Fullerton
An RP dripping by the meter
The relief valve is reacting to a check valve that won't seal, often because of grit or a worn disc. The device is doing its job. A test shows which part to rebuild.
A failed test at a restaurant or shop
Businesses often have several assemblies. A failed one gets rebuilt and retested before the report goes in, so ask how fast parts for your model arrive and plan the shutdown around service.
An untested device on a house you're buying
No test history means nobody knows if it works. Have it tested and identified during escrow, while there's still time to settle who pays for a repair.
06Fullerton
What we know about Fullerton devices
Fullerton runs its own water utility, and it delivers a blend of local groundwater and imported water. That hard water leaves scale on valve seats, and scale is one of the most common reasons a check valve stops sealing.
Many of the city's 1950s to 1970s tract homes got sprinkler systems decades after they were built. The backflow device ended up wherever the installer surfaced the line: a front planter, a side yard, a green box by the sidewalk. Sun does the rest to plastic canopies and rubber parts.
- Check with the City of Fullerton's water utility for test deadlines, accepted testers and how reports are filed.
- Testing and repair are separate skills: ask whether the tester is certified and whether the repair contractor holds a CSLB license.
- Keep each year's test report with the device serial number in one place.
- If you are outside city water service, your notice may come from a different supplier with its own rules.
- Ask any company to confirm that your Fullerton address is in its service area.
ZIP codes in and around Fullerton
ZIP codes served: 92832 (Fullerton), 92835 (Fullerton), 92831 (Fullerton), 92833 (Fullerton).
Also nearby: 92801, 90621, 92805, 90631, 92870, 92806, 90638, 92821, 92802, 92804, 90603, 90604, 90620, 92865, 91748, 90623, 92840, 90680.
Read up before the tester arrives
Guides, printable checklists, worked examples and neighborhood notes.
- Guides
Each guide takes one thing you're likely staring at: a notice, a dripping relief port, a report marked failed, a device you can't find.
- Checklists
Record cards, a test-day list, a symptom log, a quote worksheet and a yearly calendar.
- Examples
Every example here is made up.
- Neighborhoods
Downtown restaurants, hillside yards in Sunny Hills and Raymond Hills, newer homes in Amerige Heights: where devices hide and who owns them changes block to block.
07Questions
What Fullerton owners ask us about backflow
How often does a backflow device have to be tested in Fullerton?
Water suppliers in California commonly require testable assemblies to be tested when installed and at least once a year. Your notice from the city gives the exact deadline for your device.
Who is allowed to test my backflow assembly?
A certified backflow tester the water supplier accepts. Ask the city for its list, and ask the tester to show their current certification.
What is the difference between an RP and a double check?
Both have two check valves. An RP (reduced pressure principle) assembly also has a relief valve between them that dumps water if a check leaks, so it is used where the hazard is higher.
Why is water coming out of the bottom of my backflow device?
That funnel is the relief port on an RP assembly. Steady discharge usually means a check valve isn't sealing or supply pressure is swinging. Get it tested. Never plug the port.
Can a failed device be repaired, or does it need replacing?
Many failures are fixed with a repair kit of rubber parts and springs, then retested. Replacement makes sense when the body is cracked or the model is obsolete.
Does the tester send the results to the city?
Often, but not always. Ask before booking who files the report, how, and whether it costs extra. Keep a copy either way.
Do I need a backflow device on my home's sprinkler system?
Irrigation systems connected to drinking water normally need one. If you are unsure what is required for your property, check with the city's water utility.
Can I call or send you a request through this site?
This is a preview site for Fullerton Backflow Testing. The phone number shown is a temporary placeholder, and the request form is visible but not connected to a destination yet, so a submission is not sent anywhere. Licensing and service details will be published here once confirmed.
Send the details
Got the notice? Send it over
Tell us the device ID, the deadline and what you're seeing. If water is gushing, close the shutoff upstream of the device first. Whoever you hire, check their tester certification and their CSLB license yourself.
What we'll ask when you reach us
The device type and size from your notice, where it sits on the property, your deadline, and whether water is leaking right now. A photo of the brass tag answers half of that.
We'll tell you what the test covers, whether filing with the city is part of it, and how a repair would be priced if a valve fails. You get repair prices in writing before any part goes in.
Tell us about the device
Device type, where it sits, the deadline on your notice, and whether it's leaking. Urgent? Call (714) 555-0118.